The NRA spokeswoman keeps saying the pro-gun organization isn't a political lobbying group — but here's the truth

NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch says the organization is not a lobbying group.

But it is.

The NRA gets political power from its ability to mobilize its millions of members, not just lobbying for gun manufacturers.

That said, it's not always possible to distinguish between the views of NRA members and the weapons industry.

As the debate about gun control measures rages on, there's one detail about the National Rifle Association that people can't seem to agree on: Does the organization represent gun owners or gun manufacturers?

And is the NRA considered a lobbying organization, a group that tries to influence public officials on an issue?

"She is serving the gun manufacturers. She's not serving the people of the NRA," Hogg told ABC's "The Week." "Because the people that are joining the NRA, 99.9% of them are amazing people that just want to be safe, responsible gun owners, and I fully can support that."

In response, Loesch spent much of Sunday on Twitter saying that the NRA isn't a lobbying organization at all, implying that it does not represent the interests of the gun industry. Instead, she referred to the NRA as a "fellowship organization of gun owners."

The truth is that the NRA is a lobbying organization. It's one of the most powerful in the country.

It also takes money from gun manufacturers.

So does the NRA lobby for gun owners, gun manufacturers, or both?

The NRA has denied that it's "affiliated with any firearm or ammunition manufacturers or with any businesses that deal in guns and ammunition," but it takes tens of millions of dollars from companies that manufacture guns. According to the Violence Policy Center, the NRA received as much as $60.2 million from the firearms industry since 2005.

Marco Rubio is one of the Senate's biggest recipients of political donations from the firearms industry. REUTERS/Steve Nesius

The NRA gives ratings to every politician. If they're in the NRA's good graces, the NRA tells its members to vote for them. If they're not, the NRA spends money not just donating to their political opponents but runs its own advertising campaign to tell people in the district how to vote.

The NRA still spends a lot of money in politics.

In addition to direct communication with its members for political mobilization, the NRA also spends a lot of money on persuading people to vote for certain candidates.

But it's important to note how it spends its money. In addition to giving millions of dollars directly to candidates, it runs its own advertising operations. That way, the organization gets involved in primary campaigns that the Republican party won't touch, and manages its own priorities over the priorities of the candidates it supports.

President Donald Trump speaking during a meeting with state and local officials to discuss school safety. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Take President Trump. In the 2016 presidential election cycle, the NRA spent almost $30 million supporting Trump, far more than any other candidate in history. But all of that money was cash the NRA spent on its own rather than giving to Trump's campaign. (The FBI is investigating whether a top Russian banker illegally funneled money through the NRA to help Trump during the election.)

The spending used to support candidates, take down other candidates, and mobilize its own members far outstrips the spending by organizations who want to tighten gun laws.

According to CNN, for the upcoming 2018 midterm elections, the NRA and its allies have outspent organizations who want to tighten gun laws by 40 to one.

You can't always distinguish the views of gun manufacturers from NRA members.

In total, the NRA is absolutely a lobbying organization. It takes money from both gun owners and gun manufacturers, and it supports politicians who support its legislative priorities of having relaxed gun control laws.

And it's not necessarily easy to distinguish the views of gun manufacturers and gun owners.

A woman showed off a black leather concealed carry purse at the NRA Carry Guard Expo Fashion Show in Milwaukee last August. REUTERS/Ben Brewer

And while there are NRA members who support tightening up gun laws, many of them want to allow teachers to be allowed to carry guns in schools, want to allow concealed carry without permits and in more places, want to shorten the waiting period for buying a gun, don't want bans on assault weapons, and don't want a federal database tracking gun sales.